Don't Mock Me Now, I pray
by Braangster
Summary: Marius never changes in front of Courfeyrac. That's just how it is, and how it always has been.


**Pairing: Marius/Courfeyrac**

**Notes: I wrote this at 1 in the morning last night, so it's really short. Sorry :') Featuring trans!Marius and cis!Courfeyrac**

...

Marius refused to change in front of Courfeyrac. They had never really said anything about it, that's just how Marius was from the beginning. Courfeyrac was, of course, very curious, but it was almost an unspoken rule not to mention it. When Marius did need to change, he's either wait until Courfeyrac left, or he'd change in the bathroom, alone.

Marius, Courfeyrac noticed, didn't mind in the slightest when Courf changed in front of him. He also noticed that the boy seemed to look a bit…sad every time Courfeyrac took off his shirt. It confused him greatly, but he still refused to question Marius and break their unspoken boundary.

Marius liked to hum quietly when he was home alone, with just his own mind to keep him company. On this particular day, a hot summer day, Courfeyrac was out with Combeferre and Enjolras again, leaving Marius alone in the apartment all day. The poor boy didn't have any plans that day, or any other friends to hang out with, so all he could do was lounge around the apartment and read. He wiped a bead of sweat off of his forehead. Having a broken air conditioner in the middle of summer was definitely no fun at all.

Marius checked his watch, and then gave a shy look at the door. Courfeyrac wasn't going to be home for a couple of hours…

He slowly tugged off his shirt and tossed it over to his bed. Marius touched his bare shoulders. They were pale from never seeing the sun, but freckled all the same. He sighed, then readjusted himself in his chair and continued reading his book. The apartment was much more bearable without the shirt clinging to his skin.

A few hours later, a soft click of the apartment door could be heard. Marius was too engrossed in his book to notice until he heard Courfeyrac's friendly voice say, "Marius."

The boy jumped three feet into the air out of surprise and fright. His hands immediately folded protectively over his chest. "Oh, you're back," he whispered, not daring to look up. Courfeyrac had saw, Marius was sure. He was going to flip out, call Marius a freak, kick him out…

Courfeyrac laid a friendly, gentle hand on Marius' shoulder. "Ami, you do know that binding with bandages isn't safe, right?"

Marius had tensed up at Courf's touch, fearing the worst, but relaxed a bit, just a bit, at his words. He looked up at Courfeyrac shyly, his face red. For the first time ever, Marius was at complete loss for words.

Courfeyrac, on the other hand, started gnawing on one of his fingernails, deep in thought. "You know, I bet I have extra money lying around somewhere to buy you a proper binder…" he mumbled, mostly to himself.

Marius, not really listening out of fear for what he was muttering, began to inch the chair he was in over to his bed with his foot. He reached for his shirt desperately, only thinking about hiding under its protection.

"Marius!" he heard Courfeyrac say suddenly. He froze in place, his hands gripping the shirt like a long lost security blanket. "Marius, please, look at me," Courfeyrac requested quietly, politely, friendly.

Petrified, Marius turned his head slightly, so his eyes met Courf's friendly gaze. His tongue felt swollen in his mouth.

"I know you probably don't really want to talk to me right now. I'm sorry for intruding, but Marius, binding with bandages isn't safe," he repeated, "and I don't want you to get hurt, you know?" He sat on the end of the bed, close to Marius.

Marius still sat on the chair, frozen, holding the shirt to his chest protectively, staring at Courfeyrac, blinking back tears. "I'm sorry," he finally managed, though it was choked back and hardly loud enough for Courf to hear.

"No," Courfeyrac said, "don't be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for." He tentatively cupped Marius' cheek with one hand. "Everything's alright."

Marius flinched at his touch at first, but quickly leaned into it and let the tears spill out. He hiccupped whiled Courfeyrac eased him out of the chair and pulled him carefully to the bed. Marius continued crying quietly into Courf's shoulder, while Courfeyrac rubbed comforting circles into Marius' trembling back. "I can help you get a safe binder, if you'd like," he muttered into the boy's ear. "It'll be okay, I promise. Don't worry, Marius, I understand, I think. Try to get some sleep, though. We can worry about this another time." He pressed a soft kiss to Marius' forehead and handed him his shirt.

Marius took the shirt and threw it on as fast as he could. "Thank you," he whispered, giving Courfeyrac a small, grateful smile.

Courf kissed Marius' hand before making his way over to his own bed. "Goodnight, ami. I will see you when I wake."


End file.
